I recently finished “11 Minutes,” which is a documentary about the largest mass shooting in the history of the United States. This was an incredibly difficult documentary to watch, but this type of history is important to learn and remember for several reasons. First and foremost, we must remember the victims and their families and friends. This was a life changing event for so many individuals. Second, we must learn from this tragedy so that it does not happen again, or at least not nearly as often as it does today. I absolutely hate to write that last sentence, but the reality is there are evil people in the world and reaching every one of them is an impossibility. But we need to reach as many as we can with the best solutions possible. You will notice “solutions” is plural because there is no one size fits all for all evil.
I urge you to watch the documentary to better understand what the victims experienced on that heartbreaking night. But this post is going to focus on reaching solutions. I will ask open ended questions so that you, the reader, can formulate independent thought. Obviously, there are major problems with the shooter, but we can’t peel back that onion until we have an important conversation first. And that first obstacle has to do with our leaders and those who report on the story. We have witnessed the same insanity repeatedly for as long as I can remember. A mass shooting occurs, and what happens in the government and the media? One side comes out and says we need more gun control, and the other side says we need to protect the second amendment and explore mental health solutions. Of course, this is somewhat of a generality, but I will continue to generalize to open minds and facilitate thought without placing direct blame, which lies solely with the perpetrator.
Here’s what happens. We talk about gun control for weeks or even days after a mass shooting, depending on when the next big story comes out. I’m talking about society in general, and I recognize the conversation about guns and violence does occur within our government outside of these events. But why do the senseless shootings continue? Well, my guess is that we are so divided on the solutions that we are never able to implement the change that is truly needed. Sure, there are some positive changes, such as the ban on bump stocks that took place shortly after the Las Vegas massacre. Unfortunately, mass shootings continue to this day. Why don’t they stop? I will guess again… the next one happens and the same argument about the extreme solutions occurs. We stagnate yet again. We must make incremental change and truly get to the root causes for each event. That does not mean introducing a bill with solutions that also includes mandates for other non-related solutions. This topic deserves our sole focus and undivided attention. We need to discuss indirect blame and what led to this awful behavior. We will not all agree comprehensively on the solutions, but disagreement on the extreme sides of the solution leads to inaction. So, let’s make some incremental, positive change.
This article started with discussing mass shootings, but I think we need to dig a bit deeper. Murder takes place with many different types of instruments, some of which can be carried out on many victims. So, why does the conversation immediately shift to guns? And then, the conversation shifts to more background checks. Well, this week, another school shooting occurred in St. Louis, Missouri. Guess what? This was a new criminal with no prior convictions. Then, we move on to discussing mental health check requirements for purchasing a gun. Is it possible to become mentally ill after a gun is purchased? Of course. We react, and normally do not get down to root cause of any of the problems. And in today’s fast paced world, we usually search for instant gratification. Let’s look at the basic, common profiles of the Las Vegas, St. Louis, and many other mass killers.
I think the obvious trait, without even studying these individuals, is that they lack respect for human life. There is zero empathy. What if we taught these topics at an early age when the human brain is developing the most? Just like English, reading, science, and math are paramount subjects in school, should mental and emotional health studies become staples in the national curriculum? I personally think we as a nation should have a conversation about it. It won’t be an instant fix, but we could see the benefits in the years to come. It’s all about setting up the next generation for a brighter future. We may even end up with a kinder society as well.
The other common trait of these individuals is loneliness. No family, no friends, limited or no social interaction. What if social skills were covered in the same new class? Perhaps we could also introduce team-based activities to the class. There are many other productive topics that could be added to the curriculum.
We may even have a conversation about starting children in school at an even earlier age when their brains are rapidly developing. The solution could even bring benefits to the rising daycare costs that place a financial burden on young families. But we must be careful about the implementation of these solutions.
First, as a nation, we must agree on the curriculum, and it must be common across schools. This is not an opportunity to indoctrinate children with political ideologies. The topics covered should be clearly laid out and should include the nationally recognized positive traits of human beings. Second, we must get parents more involved in the curriculum. Material should be sent home to parents and acknowledgement should be required. The material may even help the parents themselves along the way.
These are only a couple potential solutions to a comprehensive problem, but we have to start somewhere. And that somewhere should be at a root-cause level. Incremental change. One bill at a time. Then, move on to the next one. We deserve a better society. And we will get there one change at a time. Before we know it, we will see comprehensive improvement.